United Way Second Annual Benefit Concert

Infinity Hall Show To Feature The Cartells on April 28

It’s so easy to support your local United Way and have fun at the same time, by buying a ticket to attend the United Way Night at Infinity Hall in Norfolk on Wednesday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m.

Every ticket purchased will support programs of the United Way of Northwest Connecticut’s 24 partner agencies. Now, more than ever, these dollars are desperately needed, as the United Way has been forced to reduce agency allocations for the second year in a row.

The concert is open to everyone and will feature The Cartells, a popular Connecticut band that plays at concerts, nightclubs, and weddings. Learn more about The Cartells by visiting their website, www.thecartells.com.

Tickets are now on sale for $42.55 per person and $87.75 for the mezzanine level. Go to the Infinity Hall website http://infinityhall.inticketing.com/private/ or call the Infinity Hall box office at 1-800-666-6306 to purchase tickets. The venue also features a bistro restaurant to enjoy before or after the concert.

You will be given a free raffle ticket, which will entitle you to with a chance to receive a free CD of the The Cartells music.

How do you say thanks for a lifetime of community service?

Many people were kind and helpful to me when I returned to Torrington two years ago to become interim — and then “permanent” — publisher of The Register Citizen. But two people stood out in a “went-out-of-their-way-to-be-helpful” kind of way.

I will have more about this in my column on Wednesday, but in case you missed it, longtime Northwest Connecticut United Way Executive Director Bill Egan is retiring next month.

Bill was one of the most welcoming people to me when I returned to Torrington two years ago, and has been a wonderful partner with The Register Citizen in projects such as Warm the Children and the Northwest Connecticut Diaper Drive.

He has done so much for so many people in need over the past two decades in Northwest Connecticut. He will be missed.

If you haven't checked out the incredible mouth-watering variety (maybe I shouldn't update this while I'm hungry) of homegrown products available from Nodine's Smoke House, check out this local business's Web site at http://www.nodinesmokehouse.com/.

It's a great Christmas gift idea for out-of-town friends and relatives if you're looking for something unique and Litchfield County-based.

But the coolest thing about Nodine's is its charitable giving program.

If you order through the Nodine's Web site, and enter designated key code number "1015," for example, the United Way of Northwest Connecticut will receive 25 percent of the proceeds from the sale.

A list of other charities involved in this program, including Saint Peter and Saint Francis School, Friendly Hands Food Bank, the Warner Theatre and the Susan B. Anthony Project, among others, is on the Nodine's Web site.

There are just three days left in one of the most crucial fundraising campaigns for the United Way of Northwest Connecticut in recent memory.

The United Way had to lower its goal from last year's amount this year because of the tough economy, but the tough economy also means that the 22 local agencies supported by the United Way are facing greater demand than ever, and are in greater need of the United Way's support than ever.

Businesses are urged to turn in pledge cards at the United Way's office at 16 Bird St. in Torrington before Thursday, and if you haven't been contacted about the campaign, please call 860-489-4131 to participate.

Individual donations are also key to the United Way's success. They can be mailed to the United Way of Northwest Connecticut, P.O. Box 1001, Torrington, CT 06790, or online with a credit or debit card at http://northwestunitedway.org.